The Sabbath During The Dark Ages

The time period from 538 A.D. to 1798 A.D. is known as the Dark Ages. During this time, the light of the truth was almost extinguished, as only a few had access to the word of God in their own language or had the learning to read Latin. The Roman Catholic Church reigned supreme, as church and state became united into one. Although there was little or no light of the truth, the Sabbath was observed throughout this time.

In the fourth century the Roman Emperor, Constantine and his followers converted to Christianity from Sun worship. In order to keep the favour of the heathen, Constantine took many heathen traditions and gave them Christian significance.  The biggest and probably most significant was the changing of the holy Sabbath to Sunday. The Catholic Church adopted Sunday as their official day of worship in the fourth century A.D. The Council of Laodiceans “transferred” the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday. The Catholic Church instituted many idolatrous practices and marked them as Christian. Those are just a few of the new doctrines that the Catholic Church introduced.  “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Daniel 7:25

As time moved on, the Catholic Church gained power; so much power, in fact, that they were appointing the rulers and kings of the European nations at the time. This meant that they had a large amount of power over the common people. Laws were set into place that everyone who professed Christianity must worship on Sunday in the churches. All those who taught God’s word were charged with heresy, tortured, put in prison or put to death. The Crusade for the extinction of heretics is a good example of how much power and influence the church had over the nations.

By the crusade for the extinction of heretics, as various as the explanations of this term may be, has been established the fact that some did keep the Sabbath of Jehovah. Rome spared no efforts to urge the princes to assist in the extinction of the heretics, and to prevent their spreading. When the princes of southern France could not consent to butcher thousands of industrious and orderly people, Pope Innocent III ordered a general crusade against the heretics, and full indulgence for their sins to such as would engage in this “holy” warfare. The observers of the Sabbath are classified here as the circumcised. King Louis IX published (A.D. 1229) the Statute “Cupientes”, in which he charges himself with the duty to clear southern France from heretics, and in order to bring this about he offers rewards for their discovery.

The Catholics sought to change God’s law. They removed the Second Commandment, changed the Fourth Commandment, and split the Tenth Commandment into two separate commandments.

Most of the people during these times did not know the true day on which to worship. The church did its best to hide God’s true law from the people. They changed the Bibles from the common languages to Greek and Latin, so that only the priests and others who had the education could understand them. Very few of these learned men ever tried to bring the truth to the common people. Those few who did only had little pieces of God’s full law. However, there were still a few who kept the true Sabbath. One of the first conversions recorded in the book of the Acts is that of the Ethiopian eunuch, the treasurer of Queen Candace. Two Alexandrian missionaries are said to have founded the Abyssinian church in the fourth century. As time moved on, another religious sect, the Mohammedans, began to pressure this Sabbath-keeping church. Soon, the Abyssinians lost their doctrine, and the Bible became a dead book to them.

God’s law has never changed. His word is everlasting and He is unchanging. The Sabbath law existed during the Dark Ages even if the Catholic Church and Satan tried to change the day and how it was observed. Although many people during these dark times never learned of the Sabbath, they still had some fragments of the truth. They will all be judged according to what they knew.

The seal of God in the Ten Commandments is the Sabbath. It shows who God is, what type of God He is and where He reigns. If we receive this seal, God will claim us as His own. The mark of the beast is given to those who worship on Sunday and truly believe it or those who do what the Catholic Church commands.

It is my wish and prayer that we may all obey the laws of the Sabbath, and that we will obey the Sabbath even when the Sunday law comes again, that we may not receive the mark of the beast. Amen.

Cyrus Newby

The Sabbath Light in Early Adventism

Washington, New Hampshire is generally regarded as the place where Sabbath-keeping was first preached by the Adventists. Rachel Oakes, a Seventh-Day Baptist, distributed publications among the Adventists there.

In 1846, Elder Joseph Bates rested on Saturday —the 7th day.  He had travelled to Washington, New Hampshire and heard the message.  He told Sister White that it was the true Sabbath.  At the time she did not worship on the 7th day.

But then she had a vision and saw the sanctuary in heaven.  She saw the ark of God covered with the mercy seat and the law of God.  Jesus raised the cover of the ark and she saw the stone on which the Ten Commandments were written. She saw the 4th commandment in the very centre of the Ten Commandments with a soft halo of light encircling it.

Sister White was shown that if the true Sabbath had been kept, there would never have been an infidel or an atheist, but the 4th commandment has been trampled on and man thought to change times and laws by moving the day of worship from the 7th day to the 1st day of the week.

Originally, the Adventists kept the Sabbath from Friday at 6:00 p.m. to Saturday at 6:00 p.m. until it was understood, in 1855, that it was to be from sunset to sunset.

The importance of Sabbath keeping was shown to Sister White.  True Sabbath keeping was to be a consecrated time and the edges of the Sabbath were to be jealously guarded. Friday was referred to as the “preparation day”.

Sister White says that the sick and suffering should be cared for on the Sabbath.  All unnecessary work should be avoided.  While cooking should be avoided, it is not necessary to eat cold food. The meals, though simple, should be palatable and attractive and be regarded as a treat for the family that they do not have every day.

Sister White’s family would gather around the family circle and welcome in the Sabbath on Friday evening with prayer and song.  The Sabbath was a special day for worship—a day of joy for them and their children.  They also visited the sick and needy.

James and Ellen White liked to sing and would often sing songs.  Also, nature walks were done on Sabbath afternoons whenever they could go out.

The Whites made the Sabbath a day of delight.  They talked about the wonders of God’s creation and made it interesting for the children.

The Sabbath was a special day for the Advent people and it continues to be a special day for God’s people today.

Tiffany Bessec

The Sabbath In our Time Today

Sabbath today, on the 7th day of the week, is the same as it was in Eden, in Israel and Jesus’ time and kept by the Adventists in Sister White’s time.  It is STILL the SAME as before.  Sabbath observance has not changed.  It is part of God’s law and that cannot change.

We are counseled that we need to be preparing for Sabbath during the week. Houses are to be cleaned and clothes repaired and cleaned.  On Friday, cooking should be done and baths are to be taken BEFORE Friday sunset when the Sabbath starts.  All secular work, business and school should be set aside.

On Sabbath, Sister White says, we should attend services for worship with other believers.  This is why we come to church.

She also says to take children outdoors to view God in nature. Also deeds of mercy are in harmony with the Sabbath.

God will not hold us guiltless who neglects to relieve suffering on the Sabbath.  God does not desire His creatures to suffer an hour’s pain that may be relieved upon the Sabbath or any other day.

Another point Sister White makes is that unnecessary travel should be avoided.

Sabbath keeping has not changed, BUT today there are more temptations to break the Sabbath as has never been before.

We are counseled not to do our own pleasure or speak our own words.  So, what are the temptations today that were not in Sister White’s time or before?  Well, we have the television and the Internet and many books, etc.  It is so easy to text your friends or check your email.  But is that not doing your own pleasure?

We should enjoy nature and read good books.  Sister White says that God has given men six days wherein to labour and He requires that their own work be done in the six working days.  Acts of necessity and mercy are permitted on the Sabbath.  The sick and suffering are at all times to be cared for, and unnecessary labour is to be strictly avoided.  The commandment includes all within our gates. Those living in your house are to lay aside their worldly business during the sacred hours.  All should unite to honour God by willing service upon His Holy day.

The person who keeps the Sabbath as God would have it kept must be at peace with God.  Sabbath not only provides the body with rest, but the spirit.  The body, soul and spirit must, for that day, be used in God’s service and everything worldly be shut out.

So long as heaven and earth endure, the Sabbath will continue as a sign of the Creator’s power.  There will be people, 144,000 exactly, who stand justified and who have proven that the Sabbath can be kept under the most adverse circumstances.

In the New Earth, God’s holy rest day will be honoured by all.  “From one Sabbath to another” the inhabitants of the glorified new earth shall go up “to worship before Me, saith the Lord.”

Let us always remember to keep the Sabbath day holy is my wish and prayer.  AMEN

James Bessec